Eight things you might not know about Social Security

Ways to maximize benefits for you and your spouse

We understand retirees can start taking retirement benefits at age 62. We realize we'll get a bigger monthly check if we wait a few years more until our normal retirement age to tap benefits. And who hasn't heard that Social Security has a long-term financial problem that Congress needs to address?

"When you scratch beyond the surface, the knowledge really plummets," says Jean Setzfand, vice president of financial security for AARP, which recently polled older adults on their Social Security knowledge. "I don't blame people for not knowing and understanding the details. It can be really confusing."

So to boost your Social Security IQ, here are eight things you might not know about the program:

Reward of waiting

Many workers don't realize just how much benefits can grow if you delay taking them.

For every year you postpone Social Security beyond your normal retirement age — between 66 and 67 for those born in 1943 and after — the annual benefit goes up by 8 percent until age 70. That's 32 percent more annually if a 66-year-old waits until 70 to claim benefits.

"Eight percent guaranteed is awfully good in any market environment," says Joe Lucey, an adviser and president of Secured Retirement Advisors in Minnesota.

"The biggest mistake people make is they don't understand the benefits of deferral," he says.

But financial firms do.

California-based Financial Engines provides 401(k) advice to workers, including how they can make their money last in retirement. In some cases, the company recommends that retirees accelerate 401(k) withdrawals in the early years of retirement if that's what it takes to postpone drawing on Social Security.

Spousal benefit

You can get a benefit based on your own work history. Or you could take a benefit based on your spouse's work record if that amount is higher.

If you take Social Security at your normal retirement age, the spousal benefit would be half the amount of your mate's full benefit.

Financial advisers recommend strategies that use a spousal benefit to boost income in later years.

Take the case of Eric and Hanah, a married couple at full retirement age. Let's assume that Eric is entitled to a bigger benefit — and the one they will want to maximize by delaying benefits as long as possible. (Yes, women are making gains in the workforce, but they still tend to have smaller Social Security paychecks.)

To maximize his benefit, Eric can claim it now and immediately suspend it. This allows Hanah to apply for a spousal benefit on her husband's record. And the suspension means Eric's benefit can continue to grow as if he never took it, says Jason Scott, managing director of Financial Engine's Retiree Research Center.

But say Hanah's benefit based on her own employment history is larger than what she would receive under a spousal benefit. In that case, Scott says, she can file for benefits on her own record and Eric can take the spousal benefit. His own benefit keeps growing until he claims it, ideally at age 70.